Appeal No. 96-1677
Application 08/144,735
tube slots that are in the header portion of the tank/header assembly. The crests and
valleys allow full flow through the elongated flattened tubes.
Claim 9, reproduced below, is representative of the subject matter on appeal.
9. A heat exchanger comprising
a plurality of flattened tubes, each having a minor dimension and a major
dimension transverse thereto, extending in spaced parallel relation;
fins between and in heat exchange relation with said tubes; and
a pair of spaced parallel elongated headers/tank assemblies between which said
tubes extend, at least one of said headers/tank assemblies being a multiple piece
header including a header piece and a separate tank piece, said header piece being
elongated and having a plurality of slots sized to receive ends of said tubes with the
tube major dimensions being generally transverse to the direction of elongation of said
header piece, said header piece further including opposed elongated flanges extending
along its length, said tank piece being elongated, concave and having opposed
elongated flanges extending along its length and nested within the flanges of said
header piece and bonded thereto to form a unitary tubular structure, the flanges of the
tank piece having alternating crests and valleys, said valleys having a width greater
than said tube minor dimension and being aligned with said tube ends;
whereby flow to said tubes is not obstructed by said tank flanges because of the
valleys therein being aligned with said tube ends to provide reliefs therefor.
The appellants and the examiner do not agree over whether claims 9 through 14
stand or fall together.
Turning first to the appellants’ Brief, the first sentence under “GROUPING OF
CLAIMS” on page 5 seems to indicate that the appellants are accepting of the
examiner’s grouping of claims 9 through 14 together. However the next sentence
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Last modified: November 3, 2007